Refrigerator-car.



O. A. MOORE. REFRIGERATOR OAR.

APPLICATION mum AUG. 12, 1908.

1,035,805, Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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C. A. MOORE.

REFRIGERATOR CAR.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1908.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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CHARLES A. MOORE, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

Applicationflled August 12, 1908. Serial No. 448,251.

To all whom it'may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES A. Moons, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator-Cars, of which the tollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerator cars and more particularly to cars which are cooled, heated or ventilated, and has for its primary object apparatus of its kind by which the air within the car or provision chamber is circulated and maintained at the proper temperature when the outside temperature is above or below the freezing point.

The walls of the car or rovision chamber are provided with air ues in the ceiling, walls and floor, which are connected with the ice-bunker in the top of the car, heater under the floor of the car and the provision chamber, thus allowlng air to enter the interior of the car from either the bunker or heating chamber or both. The arrangement of the ice-bunker and ventilating system is-such as to require less ice to create thet same degree of low temperature. The construction of the ice-bunker is such that leakage is practically impossible and of the drainage system such that there can be no overflow from the bunker or stoppage ot pipes. The heating chamber below. the floor of the car is accessible andoperated without entering the car proper, therefore it is not; necessary to disturb the'temperature of the car when adjusting or inspectingvthe heater.

ith my invention the heating system i does not consume the oxygen in the car and thus cause damage to the contents of the L provision chamber and does not require as much heat and the heat is equally distributed by the ventilating system to all parts of the provision chamber. The ice bunker and heating system occupies no floor space Within the provision chamber and in consequence the provision loading space is increased over prior art devices.

With the above objects in view, my invention provides an improved construction of the ice-bunker,ventilating system and heating chamber either separably' or in com-j bination of two or more together as desired. M invention further contemplates minor details vof construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described in the specification and pointed out in the claims. This invention is e ually applicable to house refrigerators and cooling rooms.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car illustrating my invention one side being partly broken away; Fig. 2 is lan view, ortions of the car being bro en awa i 3 is an end sectional view, the let t hand side being taken on the line XX and theright on the line YY of Fi 1; -Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one o the transverse T beams used in the floor of the ice-bunker, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a portion of the ice-bunker.

In the drawings A, represents a car having a double floor 2, ends 3, sides 4 and roof 5, filled with insulating material 6. In the car A is a lining formed by a floor 7, end walls 8, side walls 9 and ceiling 10, all of which with the outer insulating walls of the car form an air conducting passageway 11, having connection with the provision chamberby means of the screened openings 12 near the floor. The upper ends of the passageway 11 enter the top at the ends of an overhead ice bunker B which is substantially midway between the ends 'of the car. The lower extremities of the passageway 11 enter the upper portion of a heating cham- Joer C below the floor and also substantially midway between the ends of the car.

The ice bunker has its floor supported independent of the roof of the car and constructed with a plurality of transverse inverted' T rails 50 which are bent upwardly midway between their ends as shown in Fig. 4, supporting floors slanting from the center slightly down toward each side of the car. The ends of these T rails rest upon longitudinal angle irons 13, along each side wall of the car. Planks 14 are laid across the spaces between and upon the horizontal flanges 15 of the T rails and a double'lining 0t insulatin material 51 such as strawboard and thin s eet metal 16' are laid upon the planks with their side edges overlapping the vertical web- 17 of each rail. The sheet metal prevents the floor of the icebunker from leaking and the strawboard assists in preventing frost; penetrating the floor. of the bunker. Slats 45 on the floorof the bunker support the ice. The lower 10 portion of each T rail is covered by a sheet of insulating-material 18 and surrounded by a thin metal covering 19, spaced from the insulating material to prevent moisture gathering upon the T beams and dripping below. A thin sheet metal guard 20 spaced from and secured to the floor of the bunker by means of the screws 21, also assists in preventin moisture entering. the provision chamber om the floor of the bunker and catches any drip and conducts it into the drains D which are located in the side walls. At each end of the ice-bunker is a vertical wall 22 formed by a plurality of transverse slats 52 which are spaced apart and inclined downwardly into the bunker. Midway between the ends of the bunker and between the sides of the car is a vertical passageway 23 1tormed by vertical walls 24 which terminatc a short distance from the roof of the ear and above" the slats 52 to permit the" passage'of air between the bunker and provision chamber. The hatchways 25 for icing the bunker are placed in the roof of thecar.

A pair of dralns D is provided below each side of the bunker with doors '26 between each pair and in each side wall for entrance into the provision chamber. Each drain is in the form of an elongated hopper 27 and spout 28, said spout receiving the drip from thefloor of the bunker and extending down through the floor and wall of the car into a trap 29. The hoppers are placed in the walls of the car and are not liable to clog because of the hopper like construction.

Each spout 28 has a branch which assists in draining the floor of the car.

The heater 0 is formed by double insulating walls 30 below the floor and has within it an'oil stove 31, a heating drum 32'and a smoke' pipe 33 connected with said drum and passing up through the sidewall and roof of the car. Air passageway 3 1 admitsair to the burner of the stove from the outside and passageway 35 admits air into the heating chamber which subsequently passes up into the car through passageway 11 when heated. .The smoke ipe 33 and passageway 35 can be closed 37 when the heater is not use The heating chamber 38 has a door 39 in one of its side walls and a trapdoor.40 in the floor 7. The

inner wall of the heating chamber has a fire.

protecting lining 41 made of sheet metal or other suitable 'material.

- The passageway 11in the ends and roof of the car is provided with a pluralityof parting stri s 42 whichconverge toward the ice-bunker om the heating chamber for producing distinct currents o ir away from the port openings 12. By arranging the parting str1ps so as to converge'toward the ice bunker in. the ventilating passageway 11, the cold air egressing from the ice bunker is propelled downwardly into the lower porway chamber and return into the car.

3' stops 36 .and v tion of the provision chamber and carried back to the ice bunker at various points distant from the ice bunker. The upwardly contracting passageways formed by the parting strips in the end and side walls and roof of the car also serves to increase the updraft through the ventilating passageand increase the circulation of air in the car when the heater is employed. The

, parallel parting strips 43 in the passageway 11 in the floor of the car also tend to organize the air passing up from the heating chamber intp the provision chamber into distinct currents which are more eflective for ventilating purposes than if a single current of large cross sectional area were employed. a

To cool the car the ice bunker is filled with ice or other refrigerating material. Cold i. air passes from the ice bunker into the rovision chamber through the slatted o enlngs in the ends of the bunker, since t ey are lower than the top of the walls 24 and warm air passes back into the bunker through the apertures 23 and over the ice to the openings between the slats 52. The air in the passage 11 in the walls. of the car, re- 1 ceiving heat from the interior and exterior of the car, expands and rises, flowing into the "ends of the bunker B above the slats "52 and mingles with the air rising through the apertures- 23' thus coming into contact with the ice, thence passes out through the openings between the slats 52. When it is desired to heat the car the oil stove isoperated and the plugs 36 and 37 withdrawn from the openings 35 and smoke pipe 33. 'The heated air passes up through the passageway 11 desired When it is desired to. ventilate, the car without the use of ice or the stove,-

the passageway 35 can-be opened. The parting str1ps then also organize currents of air throughout the car. and create a free circulation of distinct currents of air which. are highly beneficial in preserving perishable goods wlthin the provision chamber. .The ventilating system described produces dry air in the provision chamber and overcomes the objection of producing moist air which is objectionable in other systems.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my, invention together with hp aratus whichI now consider to represent-t e best mote from the ends of the car,

embodiment thereof but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A refrigerator car, comprising, in combination, a car body having a provision chamber, an overhead ice bunker in said chamber having a floor and open ends remote from the ends of the car, said floor being slanted to the side walls of the car, and a drain in each side wall of the car having an elongated hopper-like upper portion positioned to receive-the drainage from the lower end of said floorf and a spout at the lower end of said .drain terminating outside of the'walls of said car.

2. YA refrigerator car, comprising, in combination, a car body having a provision chamber, an overhead ice bunker in said chamber having a floor and open ends resaid floor being slanted to the side walls ofthe car, drains in the side wall of the car positioned to receive drainage from the lower ends of said floor and having their lower ends terminating outside of thewalls of said car, and a guard spaced below and secured to the lower surface of said floor adapted to receive and drain condensation from said lower surface, said guard being inclined down toward the sides of the car and leading into said drains.

3. A refrigerator car, comprising, incombination, a car body having a provision chamber, closed floor adapted to tending entirely across the provision chamber, and upright ends remote from the ends of the provision chamber having air pas sages extending substantially the entire width of saidchamber, said bunker floor support ice and ex-i an overhead ice bunker having amedian aperture therein formed with vertical edge walls extending to a point above said end passages and forming a substantially vertical passageway for the circulation of air, said end passageways and median aperture forming a circuit for air through the central portion of the bunker floor and over the end of the bunker to the end wall of said car.

4. A refrigerator car, comprising in combination, a car body, an overhead ice bunker in said car body having a plurality of transverse single piece supporting rails and at,- tached to the side walls of said car, each of said rails being off set upwardly between its ends, a watertight flooring superimposed adjacent to said rails and draining to the side walls of said car and drainage pipes in the-walls of said car adapted to receive drainage from said floor and conduct it to the exterior of said car.

5. A refrigerator car, comprising in combination, a car body having a provision having a a chamber within and an enveloping air space in its walls communicating with said chamber near the floor thereof, an overhead ioe bunker isolated from the end walls of said provision chamber and extending to the side walls of said car, apertured end walls in said bunker permitting communication of the bunker with the provision chamber and the enveloping air space, a drainage floor in said bunker having a centrally located air ductextending in the bunker above the level of it's communication with the provision chamber, whereby a system of air circulation is set up through said duct and wall air space, over ice in said bunker and into said provision chamber. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. a

' CHARLES A. MOORE.

Witnesses:

F. G. BRADBURY,

H. L. FISCHER. 

